The Boojum of the Plott Balsam

Boojum's Treasure Lies Unfound
by John Parris

Plott Balsam - The range of the Boojum is very limited.
Few folks outside the mountains have ever heard of the strange creature whose hideaway is somewhere among the rocky crags of the Plott Balsams.
As a matter of fact, not too may of the local folks know about the Boojum and his cache of priceless gemstones which, legend persists, is stored in stone jugs filled with pert'nin' juice.
But time was when the adventurous and the fortune hunters scoured the wilds of the Plott Balsams in search of the Boojum's secret cave, bent on turning up the bonanza of rubies, amethysts, and emeralds.
This was back when the famous Eagle's Nest Hotel stood atop this mile high peak that towers over Waynesville and catered to folks suffering to hay fever.
Expeditions to search for the Boojum's cave were organized leading guests to search Plott Balsam and surrounding areas.
According to the local tradition the Boojum had his cave somewhere among these rocky heights wehere there were onnly bear trails.
The Boojum was described as a strange creature, neither man nor beast. A giant of a creature who generally traveled about at twilight and dusk. No Man, twas said, had ever got a real good look at the Boojum. No one had ever run upon the giant face-to-face. Atleast if they had, they had never lived to tell of it.
But there were stories of folks having seen the Boojum from afar, a ghostly shape etched against the sky from a perch on Plott Balsam.
Some figured it was only a giant bear.
But the legend grew as all legends do.
By the time Peter G. Thompson, the founder of Champion Fibre Compmany, came this way in 1906, the legend was well established and was the talk at the Eagle's Nest Hotel.
He was the one who first mentioned the story of the Boojum to his son-in-law, Reuben R. Robertson. And in succeeding years, Robertson became an authority on the Boojum.
"The Boojum," he explained "is a Plott Balsam creature, somewhat akin to the abominable Smow Man of the Himalayas. The Boojum however, is different in that he developed a great fondness for precious stones of the mountains - rubies, amethysts, beryls, emeralds, and the like."
"And it was the firm belief of the mountain dwellers that the Boojum had amassed a most valuable collection of these jewels which he cached in his hidden cave."
"Furthermore, it was related that these jewels were stored in stone jugs and that to further camoflauge the contents of the jugs, he filled them with that mountain beverage known as pert'nin' juice."
"Obviously, to ascertain whether the jewels were present in a particular jug discovered hiddewn away in the mountains, the peart'nin' juice had to be removed."
"Now some outlanders might pour it out on the ground without so much as a thought. But not a thrifty mountain man. And unusually there were two or three mountain men on the expeditions into the wilds."
"And in time even the oulander agreed that to pour out the peart'nin' juice on the ground would be an unseemly waste."
"Thus, in this scientific search for the Boojum's lost jewels, much peart'nin' juicehas been consumed over the years. But the jewels remain hidden, albeit the search goes on, and there are yet many jugs of peart'nin' juice back in the hills to be explored."
Be that as it may, the search these days for Boojum's cave and its fortune is carried on without fanfare and strictly on the quite.
As a matter of fact, folks in the know just dont talk about the Boojum among strangers or even acquaintances.
It coould be that's the reason so few folks know about the Boojum and the bonanza of jewels hidden in stone jugs filled with peart'nin' juice.







	The Boojum of the Plott Balsam Boojum's Treasure Lies Unfound by John Parris Plott Balsam - The range of the Boojum is very limited. Few folks outside the mountains have ever heard of the strange creature whose hideaway is somewhere among the rocky crags of the Plott Balsams. As a matter of fact, not too may of the local folks know about the Boojum and his cache of priceless gemstones which, legend persists, is stored in stone jugs filled with pert'nin' juice. But time was when the adventurous and the fortune hunters scoured the wilds of the Plott Balsams in search of the Boojum's secret cave, bent on turning up the bonanza of rubies, amethysts, and emeralds. This was back when the famous Eagle's Nest Hotel stood atop this mile high peak that towers over Waynesville and catered to folks suffering to hay fever. Expeditions to search for the Boojum's cave were organized leading guests to search Plott Balsam and surrounding areas. According to the local tradition the Boojum had his cave somewhere among these rocky heights wehere there were onnly bear trails. The Boojum was described as a strange creature, neither man nor beast. A giant of a creature who generally traveled about at twilight and dusk. No Man, twas said, had ever got a real good look at the Boojum. No one had ever run upon the giant face-to-face. Atleast if they had, they had never lived to tell of it. But there were stories of folks having seen the Boojum from afar, a ghostly shape etched against the sky from a perch on Plott Balsam. Some figured it was only a giant bear. But the legend grew as all legends do. By the time Peter G. Thompson, the founder of Champion Fibre Compmany, came this way in 1906, the legend was well established and was the talk at the Eagle's Nest Hotel. He was the one who first mentioned the story of the Boojum to his son-in-law, Reuben R. Robertson. And in succeeding years, Robertson became an authority on the Boojum. "The Boojum," he explained "is a Plott Balsam creature, somewhat akin to the abominable Smow Man of the Himalayas. The Boojum however, is different in that he developed a great fondness for precious stones of the mountains - rubies, amethysts, beryls, emeralds, and the like." "And it was the firm belief of the mountain dwellers that the Boojum had amassed a most valuable collection of these jewels which he cached in his hidden cave." "Furthermore, it was related that these jewels were stored in stone jugs and that to further camoflauge the contents of the jugs, he filled them with that mountain beverage known as pert'nin' juice." "Obviously, to ascertain whether the jewels were present in a particular jug discovered hiddewn away in the mountains, the peart'nin' juice had to be removed." "Now some outlanders might pour it out on the ground without so much as a thought. But not a thrifty mountain man. And unusually there were two or three mountain men on the expeditions into the wilds." "And in time even the oulander agreed that to pour out the peart'nin' juice on the ground would be an unseemly waste." "Thus, in this scientific search for the Boojum's lost jewels, much peart'nin' juicehas been consumed over the years. But the jewels remain hidden, albeit the search goes on, and there are yet many jugs of peart'nin' juice back in the hills to be explored." Be that as it may, the search these days for Boojum's cave and its fortune is carried on without fanfare and strictly on the quite. As a matter of fact, folks in the know just dont talk about the Boojum among strangers or even acquaintances. It coould be that's the reason so few folks know about the Boojum and the bonanza of jewels hidden in stone jugs filled with peart'nin' juice.